Yes, you read that correctly.  There’s a huge non-diet movement that’s been spreading like crazy… it’s almost like nobody talks about being on a diet anymore.  Non-diet books are flying off the shelves and people are embracing “normal eating”.  The big question is “What exactly is normal eating?”  There are several books that address normal eating including “Intuitive Eating” and “Naturally Thin”.  Normal eating is basically eating when you’re hungry and stopping when you’re satisfied.  Do this and you will naturally control your weight while falling into your natural healthy weight.  For a more detailed definition we can go to Registered Dietitian Ellyn Satter:

• Normal eating is going to the table hungry and eating until you are satisfied.
• Normal eating is being able to give some thought to your food selection so you get nutritious food, but not being so wary and restrictive that you miss out on enjoyable food.
• It is leaving some cookies on the plate because you know you can have some again tomorrow, or it is eating more now because they taste so wonderful.
• Normal eating is trusting your body to make up for your mistakes in eating.
• Normal eating takes up some of your time and attention, but keeps its place as only one important area of your life
• In short, normal eating is flexible. It varies in response to your hunger, your schedule, your proximity to food and your feelings.

This is a very good definition of normal eating and sounds relatively easy, but for some, it’s harder than you think.  An article in the New York Time’s Blog addressed normal eating with Ellyn Satter’s definition.  There were over 300 comments.  Everyone’s view of normal eating is different.  Someone’s view of normal eating could be eating fast food only once or twice per day.  It’s really important to clarify that it’s both quantity and quality that matters the most.  Eating healthy is very important, but how much you eat is even more important.  If you want fast food, eat fast food, just don’t order and consume the entire supersized value meal.  Normal eating as mentioned above is “going to the table hungry and eating until you are satisfied.”  This can be difficult for some, but it’s all about having the right attitude.  Food is fun, delicious, and satisfying.  Forget trying to lose weight… carry your head high and your attitude positive.  Let yourself eat what you want when you’re hungry and stop when you stomach isn’t hungry anymore.  Like Ellyn Satter says… “Normal eating takes up some of your time and attention, but keeps it’s place as only one important area of your life.

I leave you with a question… “What is your description of Normal Eating?”  Let me know… I’d love to hear!

Q:  What are your thoughts on artificial sweeteners?  Are they okay to consume when trying to lose weight?

A:  The jury is still out on artificial sweeteners.  The fact of the matter is they do save calories when trying to lose weight.  Switching from regular soda to diet will save calories.  Same thing goes for using artificial sweeteners like Splenda or Equal in place of regular sugar.  Here’s the catch… some studies are showing that products containing artificial sweeteners actually increase the cravings for sweets.  In my experience, when my clients cut back on the diet soft drinks they consume, they lose more weight.  My recommendation is to keep it to no more than one serving of artificial sweetener per day.  A serving would be one 12oz can of diet soda, or one packet of sweetener.  Eventually, it would be great to limit it to just a couple servings per week.

Q:  What do you think of the book “Intuitive Eating”?  Have you read Bethenny Frankel’s book “Naturally Skinny”?  What’s your opinion on it?

A:  I love the book “Intuitive Eating”.  I learned a lot from it and from the authors.  I love the concept of intuitive eating, but feel that it has to be catered to each person.  Identifying your hunger and developing a healthy relationship with food is the main priority.  Once that base is established, it’s much easier to look at calories and nutrition from a “healthy lifestyle” perspective.  The goal is to eat healthy, but feel good about it, and not feel like you’re depriving yourself.  I have looked at the book “Naturally Thin”.  I like Bethenny’s writing style.  What she is doing is telling her story and how she came out of the “diet mentality”.  She is a natural food’s chef… and that’s the extent of her training.  A good way to view this book is to look at the tools she used to develop a healthy relationship with food, and how she manages that on a day-to-day basis.  The reader can see if those tools work for them.  The food diary she listed is based on her body and her needs.  It’s important to keep that in mind.  Take the info in the book and tailor it for you.

Q:  I read in one of your blog posts that you’re pregnant!  Congratulations!  How did you deal with body image, weight gain part of it?  I’m so worried about that for when I get pregnant.

A:  I think every woman worries about this to an extent.  I had worked a lot on body image issues in the past, so I felt pretty good about where I was at prior to becoming pregnant.  I did have a hard time seeing my body change, but I learned to get over it.  This time in my life is not about me… it’s about my body building a healthy baby.  I had to tell myself that my body was going to do what it wants to do… I know longer had control of it.  I know it will all be worth it in the end.

Q:  What tips do you have for college students?  I’m about 15 pounds overweight and often snack during late night study sessions.

A:  It’s all about managing your schedule in college.  You’re body will typically ask for food every 4-5 hours, depending on what you previously ate.  Keep an eye on the portion sizes.   As far as snacking goes, mindless snacking will put on excess weight, especially if it’s done consistently and becomes a habit.  Keep healthy snacks close by, so when hunger strikes, there’s less temptation by the vending machine.  Take a look at your class and study schedule and try to structure your meals a little.  Getting your body into some type of routine can help.  Lastly, stay active.  Try to squeeze some exercise you enjoy on a daily basis.  This not only keeps our weight healthy, but relieves daily stress as well!

Got a question for Weekly Bite?  Submit your question on this blog post and I’ll put in the next Q&A.

Before I get started, I have to let you know that I’m 7 ½ months pregnant.  So everything I reference in this post is based on pre-pregnancy.  Eating while pregnant is a whole other topic.  I had to get to know my body all over again. I had to learn how to deal with morning sickness, massive cravings, and the hardest of all… accepting the physical changes my body was going through.  So, everything I talk about is pre-pregnancy.

About Me

I’m a petite 5′2″ female and have dealt with weight insecurities most of my life.  I’ve always been an avid exerciser… often exercising too much.  The funny part is during that time in my life, I was at my heaviest.  The more I exercised, the heavier I was.  And what I mean by too much exercising, I mean exercising for 2+ hours… and not because I was training for a race or event.  The more I exercised, the hungrier I got.  The hungrier I got, the more I (over)ate.  The more I ate, the more I weighed.  The more I weighed, the more insecure I became.  The messed up part is that all of this was happening while I was studying to be a dietitian.  I viewed exercise as a form of weight control, and viewed eating as a something that could only be done once calories were counted and portions were weighed.  I was straight-up un-healthy!!  My relationship with exercise, food, and my weight were way off.   

How I came out of it

I knew what I was doing was unhealthy.  I thought to myself “how can I be a dietitian and tell people how to be healthy when I was struggling with it myself?”  Without getting too detailed, I did have sort of a moment and I new a change had to be made.  I had to help myself before I could help others.  This process took a lot of time.  When all this was happening, I was living in San Diego, CA.  I contacted one of the author’s of Intuitive Eating (just 2hrs away from me) and began to slowly come out the “funk”.  As a Dietitian, I am well aware of calories, portions, and everything else regarding food.  What I had to do was develop more of a healthy relationship with food, and look at calories in a non-judgmental way.  This process took time… a lot of time.  I worked really hard to eat when I was hungry.  The difference was I knew what a proper portion size was for me.  I stopped eating “diet” foods and moved to “real” food. 

All of the mistakes I made I viewed as a learning experience.  I know what happens to my body when I consistently eat when I’m hungry, and I know what happens when I consistently eat when I’m not hungry.  The reason I know this is because I’ve seen the results.  I’ve gained weight when I mindlessly snack.  I’ve lost weight when I cut out the mindless eating.  Another big difference is my exercise routine.  I view exercise in a totally different way then before.  I run and practice yoga (bikram is my favorite).  I’m healthier physically and mentally now more than ever. 

Why am I Sharing This??

The reason why I’m sharing this personal info is to help people.  Dietitians are not perfect… I know I’m not!!  Dietitians are a wealth of nutrition knowledge and our job is to give accurate nutrition info based on sound science.  There are tons of RD’s who have never had any food issues and some who have.  I can only speak for myself.  As far as the way I eat now.  I never look at calories on a day to day basis.  I based when I eat on hunger and sometimes convenience.  When I do eat, it’s kind of impossible to ignore the calories… it’s my job to know the calories of things.  I look at calories differently now.  I don’t obsess over them or crunch my daily numbers.  Sometimes I may eat a meal that has 300 calories, and then eat 1 or 2 cookies because I want them and I’m still hungry.  As long as I’m listening to my body I am happy.  It’s when I get out of touch with my body that I know something is wrong.  Like I said… this took a lot of time for me to figure this all out.

I truly hope this post has helped!  If you’re interested in see what a typical day looks like for me, let me know… I’m happy to share!